


Soundless

by Lady_Clow



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Slice of Life, Snippets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-19 07:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22807462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Clow/pseuds/Lady_Clow
Summary: Noctis kisses like for the last time: desperately, fervently, with all love he can muster. Sometimes it’s messy and quick, but filled with unguided passion; other times – slow and sweet like honey he liked to taste in childhood. Every time he does it as if tomorrow will never come and it’s the last chance for him to finally express his feelings.
Relationships: Ardyn Izunia/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 13
Kudos: 42





	Soundless

Noctis kisses like for the last time: desperately, fervently, with all love he can muster. Sometimes it’s messy and quick, but filled with unguided passion; other times – slow and sweet like honey he liked to taste in childhood. Every time he does it as if tomorrow will never come and it’s the last chance for him to finally express his feelings.

The sun rises every morning nonetheless – bright and warm on his skin. The world is alive and they are alive and the kiss he steals from Ardyn still feels like the last one each.

Ardyn always kisses back, but Noctis feels it. Hesitation, even unwillingness almost in every move of his lips against his own. Ardyn never initiates it, but never turns from it as well. They never talk about it, as well as about the fact why the sun still shines, the people breathe and the world’s alive. Why the daemons are dancing under the moonlight, singing their soundless songs only Ardyn can hear, never crossing the thresholds of any town anymore. Why they bow to him at night, even miles away, and fall silent under first rays of sun.

Noctis never asks it, Ardyn never tells him. There are still some truths that can’t be said aloud. As well as some that needs to be voiced.

“If you don’t want it, I’ll stop,” Noctis says eventually, gently touching a lock of fuchsia hair. He never thought they’d be as soft as bird’s feathers, yet they are.

Ardyn hums, not opening his eyes. He likes when his hair is being played with, as Noctis managed to find out. He seems warm and content and so peaceful in there moments, Noctis wants to stop the time, to absorb those minutes of honesty between them.

It stopped in Astral Realm when his hand dropped before he managed to deliver fatal blow. When the ring dissolved into nothingness right on his finger, leaving and ugly burn mark in its wake. When black tears faded from Ardyn’s face and he closed his eyes with a sigh and everything erupted into whirlwind of light and dark.

It resumed its flow when Noctis opened his eyes and the World or Ruin around them was no more. When his fingers interlaced with Ardyn’s, but the Accursed said nothing, just sighed again.

It was the first time Noctis kissed him. The first time Ardyn kissed back as if he really doesn’t want to.

“I’ll stop,” he repeats again, fingers halting their movements through soft hair. Ardyn opened his eyes, with their color of the sun, cocked his head to the side. He seemed genuinely confused by the sudden statement – well, as much as that ever-present half-smile half-smirk allowed him to.

“I feel your displeasure when we’re kissing,” Noct laces their fingers together, looks at them. He wants to tug Ardyn’s fingerless gloves off, but refrains from doing so. “I don’t want to make you do something you don’t want.”

“I want it,” Ardyn says in that soft and smooth voice of his, which envelops with warmth and suffocates at the same time.

“It still feels like I’m forcing it on you,” Noct shakes his head, frustration creeping from his gut. “Maybe the main cause is me?” he bites his lip. “I… I know I’m not experienced in these kinds of things. And–”

He pauses, but Ardyn stays silent, just watches him intently, still with that soft smile, like he’s waiting for Noct to spill the real truth already.

“I’m not the one you want to kiss,” Noctis breathes at last, clutching Ardyn’s hand with both of his own. Remembering that sweet memory he saw, while being in the Crystal, about two lovers under a tree, peaceful and so happy his heart hurt.

Ardyn hums again and looks at their joined hands. Noctis’ thumb rubs the skin of his fingers absentmindedly, but the Accursed doesn’t make an attempt to break their hold. He seems so calm, almost relaxed, which Noct never thought he was capable of feeling.

“I’ve never been kissed,” he says at last, in a tone so light, as if he’s talking about weather. Noctis blinks at him.

“But I… I saw you–” he pauses, not willing to breach such sensitive topic, which they still haven’t discussed yet.

After all, Ardyn understood pretty well all the unspoken words and meanings.

“A first and last time in the same moment,” corners of his mouth lifted in sweetest of smiles, as if he wasn’t talking about the terrifyingly painful past. “And it still was on the cheek.”

Noctis saw it too, drifting in nothingness and learning about the horrors wrought upon the man before him. Sometimes he wondered if the fact that Ardyn can’t sleep is really a curse rather than blessing.

Noctis closes his own eyes and sighs, lifting their entwined hands to place a gentle kiss to the man’s knuckles. He feels Ardyn’s answering smile without even seeing it.

“Do you want me to teach you?” he asks softly, rising his head.

Ardyn’s eyes were a color of the sun, shining as bright as it did. Sometimes Noctis lets himself wonder if the daemons in the man’s head fall silent when their lips touch or they roar and scream till Ardyn loses the ability to feel even those leftover bits of feelings he still has somewhere deep inside.

Whether he’s still capable of feeling barely anything?

“I’d like you to try,” the Accursed whispers, voice soft and warm like honey Noctis loved to taste in childhood.

Though, as their lips meet in a slow and gentle kiss, he realizes that Ardyn definitely tastes much better.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://ladyclow.tumblr.com/)  
> Also there's an [ArdyNoct Discord](https://discord.gg/B4tQk9) now, please, join!


End file.
